What we don't know is that he was born in Niger State. This extra information probably gives you some insight into the type of Nigeria he grew up in.

This brings me to Mary Slessor. All we know of her from every current affairs book, is that she stopped the killing of twins in Calabar. That's about to change.

Long time ago…

In a kingdom not too far away, there lived a people who believed twins brought bad luck. So when twins were born, they were left to die. But then they didn't even bury their bodies because they believed it would spoil the earth. They just kept them in pots.

Then Mary Slessor came along. And to prove to them, she pulled off an experiment. Twins that were rejected, she took them to a place that's now called Twin Island.

When people saw that nothing happened, their minds slowly began to change.

Then something drastic happened.

Right in the household of the king, a princess put to bed. She bore twins. Boys.

So instead of having the twins killed like the others, he let Mary Slessor have them and take them to Twin Island.

This was the beginning of the end of the tradition.

Those boys, according to the stories at Twin Island today, were named Duke and Henshaw.

She stood tall. I wondered how tall she was when she was alive. In her hands were two babies. Twins. One in each arm. The sculptor put a smile on her face. As if the weight of the babies had no effect on her arms. I wondered is she carried them so easliy when she was alive. Did she put them in a basket instead? But then again, standing against norms has never been easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it.

Maybe the Sculptor put a smile on her face because she carried them like a mother would carry her children. Despite the burden of parenting. Mary bore no children, but she mothered many.